{"success":true,"version":"v1","request":{"tool":"get_calculator_schema","calculator_id":"meat-cooking-time"},"result":{"entity_type":"calculator","id":"meat-cooking-time","calculator_id":"meat-cooking-time","canonical_url":"https://tttkmbb.com/food/meat-cooking-time","name":"Meat Cooking Time Calculator","title":"Roasting Time Calculator – Beef, Lamb, Pork, Whole Chicken, Turkey and Fresh Ham by Weight and Doneness","category":"food","category_name":"Food & Cooking","tool_name":"estimate_roasting_time","featured_mcp_tool":false,"description":"Estimates oven roasting time for a joint or whole bird from its weight with published minutes-per-pound rules (BBC Good Food for beef, lamb, pork and chicken; the USDA timetable for whole turkey) and returns the target internal temperature, the USDA safe minimum and the resting time.","use_when":"You need to plan how long a roast or a whole bird of a given weight takes in a conventional oven and which internal temperature to cook it to.","do_not_use_when":"You are cooking ground meat, stuffed or boned-and-rolled joints, sous-vide, smoked or braised meat, or a stuffed turkey (use turkey-cooking-time); times are estimates and doneness must be confirmed with a thermometer.","inputs":[{"name":"meat","label":"Meat","type":"enum","required":true,"values":[{"value":"beef","label":"Beef joint (rib, sirloin, topside)","aliases":["roast beef","beef joint","beef roast"]},{"value":"lamb","label":"Lamb joint (leg, shoulder)","aliases":["leg of lamb","lamb leg","lamb shoulder"]},{"value":"pork","label":"Pork joint (loin, shoulder, leg)","aliases":["pork loin","pork shoulder","pork roast"]},{"value":"chicken_whole","label":"Whole chicken","aliases":["chicken","whole chicken","roast chicken"]},{"value":"turkey_whole","label":"Whole turkey, unstuffed","aliases":["turkey","whole turkey"]},{"value":"ham_fresh","label":"Fresh (uncured) ham","aliases":["fresh ham","uncured ham","pork leg"]}],"description":"Type of joint or bird; pork, ham and poultry are always cooked through to the USDA safe temperature.","example":"beef"},{"name":"weight_kg","label":"Weight","type":"number","unit":"kg","required":true,"max":15,"exclusive_min":0,"description":"Weight of the joint or bird in kilograms (1 lb = 0.4536 kg); whole turkeys are covered from 8 to 24 lb (3.6–10.9 kg) by the USDA timetable.","example":1.5},{"name":"doneness","label":"Doneness","type":"enum","required":false,"default":"medium","values":[{"value":"rare","label":"Rare (52 °C)"},{"value":"medium_rare","label":"Medium-rare (57 °C)","aliases":["medium rare","mr"]},{"value":"medium","label":"Medium (63 °C)"},{"value":"well_done","label":"Well done (71 °C)","aliases":["well","well-done","well done"]}],"description":"Target doneness for beef and lamb; ignored for pork, ham and poultry, which are always cooked to the safe temperature.","example":"medium"},{"name":"oven_temperature_c","label":"Oven temperature","type":"number","unit":"°C","required":false,"default":180,"min":140,"max":250,"description":"Conventional oven setting; the timing rules assume 180 °C (356 °F) for joints and chicken and 163 °C (325 °F) for turkey, and are not rescaled for other settings.","example":180}],"outputs":[{"name":"cooking_time_minutes","label":"Cooking time","type":"number","unit":"min","decimals":0,"description":"Estimated total roasting time."},{"name":"cooking_time_text","label":"Cooking time","type":"string","decimals":4,"description":"Cooking time in hours and minutes."},{"name":"resting_time_minutes","label":"Resting time","type":"number","unit":"min","decimals":0,"description":"Rest before carving: 15 min under 2 kg, 20 min for 2–4 kg, 30 min above 4 kg."},{"name":"target_internal_temperature_c","label":"Target internal temperature","type":"number","unit":"°C","decimals":0,"description":"Thermometer reading at which to remove the meat from the oven (thickest part, away from bone)."},{"name":"target_internal_temperature_f","label":"Target internal temperature","type":"number","unit":"°F","decimals":0,"description":"Same in Fahrenheit."},{"name":"usda_safe_minimum_c","label":"USDA safe minimum","type":"number","unit":"°C","decimals":0,"description":"USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this meat (whole cuts of beef, lamb and pork 63 °C plus a 3-minute rest; poultry 74 °C)."},{"name":"usda_safe_minimum_f","label":"USDA safe minimum","type":"number","unit":"°F","decimals":0,"description":"Same in Fahrenheit (145 °F or 165 °F)."},{"name":"weight_lb","label":"Weight","type":"number","unit":"lb","decimals":2,"description":"Weight in pounds used by the timing rule."},{"name":"oven_temperature_f","label":"Oven temperature","type":"number","unit":"°F","decimals":0,"description":"oven_temperature_c in Fahrenheit."},{"name":"method_note","label":"Method","type":"string","decimals":4,"description":"The rule applied, the reference oven temperature and the thermometer instruction."}],"input_schema":{"type":"object","properties":{"meat":{"description":"Type of joint or bird; pork, ham and poultry are always cooked through to the USDA safe temperature.","type":"string","enum":["beef","lamb","pork","chicken_whole","turkey_whole","ham_fresh"],"examples":["beef"]},"weight_kg":{"description":"Weight of the joint or bird in kilograms (1 lb = 0.4536 kg); whole turkeys are covered from 8 to 24 lb (3.6–10.9 kg) by the USDA timetable. Unit: kg.","type":"number","maximum":15,"exclusiveMinimum":0,"examples":[1.5],"x-unit":"kg"},"doneness":{"description":"Target doneness for beef and lamb; ignored for pork, ham and poultry, which are always cooked to the safe temperature.","type":"string","enum":["rare","medium_rare","medium","well_done"],"default":"medium","examples":["medium"]},"oven_temperature_c":{"description":"Conventional oven setting; the timing rules assume 180 °C (356 °F) for joints and chicken and 163 °C (325 °F) for turkey, and are not rescaled for other settings. Unit: °C.","type":"number","minimum":140,"maximum":250,"default":180,"examples":[180],"x-unit":"°C"}},"additionalProperties":false,"required":["meat","weight_kg"]},"output_schema":{"type":"object","properties":{"cooking_time_minutes":{"description":"Estimated total roasting time. Unit: min.","type":"number","x-unit":"min"},"cooking_time_text":{"description":"Cooking time in hours and minutes.","type":"string"},"resting_time_minutes":{"description":"Rest before carving: 15 min under 2 kg, 20 min for 2–4 kg, 30 min above 4 kg. Unit: min.","type":"number","x-unit":"min"},"target_internal_temperature_c":{"description":"Thermometer reading at which to remove the meat from the oven (thickest part, away from bone). Unit: °C.","type":"number","x-unit":"°C"},"target_internal_temperature_f":{"description":"Same in Fahrenheit. Unit: °F.","type":"number","x-unit":"°F"},"usda_safe_minimum_c":{"description":"USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this meat (whole cuts of beef, lamb and pork 63 °C plus a 3-minute rest; poultry 74 °C). Unit: °C.","type":"number","x-unit":"°C"},"usda_safe_minimum_f":{"description":"Same in Fahrenheit (145 °F or 165 °F). Unit: °F.","type":"number","x-unit":"°F"},"weight_lb":{"description":"Weight in pounds used by the timing rule. Unit: lb.","type":"number","x-unit":"lb"},"oven_temperature_f":{"description":"oven_temperature_c in Fahrenheit. Unit: °F.","type":"number","x-unit":"°F"},"method_note":{"description":"The rule applied, the reference oven temperature and the thermometer instruction.","type":"string"}}},"formula":"weight_lb = weight_kg / 0.45359; beef and lamb: minutes = weight_lb × r + r with r = 20 (rare), 22.5 (medium-rare), 25 (medium), 30 (well done); pork and fresh ham: r = 35; whole chicken: r = 20; whole turkey 8–24 lb: linear interpolation of the USDA 163 °C timetable (8 lb 2¾ h, 12 lb 3 h, 14 lb 3¾ h, 18 lb 4¼ h, 20 lb 4½ h, 24 lb 5 h), under 8 lb r = 20; resting = 15 / 20 / 30 min for < 2 kg / 2–4 kg / > 4 kg; °F = °C × 9/5 + 32","method":"Minutes-per-pound rules (BBC Good Food quotes them per 450 g) assume a conventional oven at 180 °C, fridge-cold meat and an unstuffed joint; shape, bone and oven accuracy change the time by ±15 %, so cook to temperature rather than time. Targets: beef and lamb rare 52 °C, medium-rare 57 °C, medium 63 °C, well done 71 °C; USDA safe minimum 63 °C (145 °F) with a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, lamb and pork, 74 °C (165 °F) for poultry.","sources":[{"name":"BBC Good Food – How to cook roast beef (minutes per 450 g for rare, medium and well done)","url":"https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-cook-roast-beef","type":"reference","retrieved_at":"2026-09-24"},{"name":"USDA FSIS – Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart","url":"https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart","type":"government","retrieved_at":"2026-09-24"},{"name":"USDA FSIS – Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking (roasting timetable at 325 °F; 165 °F minimum internal temperature)","url":"https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/turkey-basics-safe-cooking","type":"government","retrieved_at":"2026-09-24"}],"freshness":{"type":"static","max_age_seconds":null,"note":"Deterministic formula with fixed constants; results never go stale. Inputs supplied by the caller determine the output."},"examples":[{"name":"1.5 kg beef, medium, 180 °C","inputs":{"meat":"beef","weight_kg":1.5,"doneness":"medium","oven_temperature_c":180},"expected":{"cooking_time_minutes":108,"cooking_time_text":"1 h 48 min","target_internal_temperature_c":63,"target_internal_temperature_f":145,"usda_safe_minimum_c":63,"resting_time_minutes":15,"oven_temperature_f":356},"url":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/meat-cooking-time?meat=beef&weight_kg=1.5&doneness=medium&oven_temperature_c=180"},{"name":"2 kg whole chicken","inputs":{"meat":"chicken_whole","weight_kg":2},"expected":{"cooking_time_minutes":108,"cooking_time_text":"1 h 48 min","target_internal_temperature_c":74,"target_internal_temperature_f":165,"resting_time_minutes":20},"url":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/meat-cooking-time?meat=chicken_whole&weight_kg=2"}],"faq":[{"q":"Is rare beef safe?","a":"The USDA recommends 63 °C (145 °F) plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts; rare (52 °C) and medium-rare (57 °C) are common chef's targets but carry a higher food-safety risk, especially for pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised diners."},{"q":"Why is pork cooked to 63 °C and not 71 °C?","a":"Since 2011 the USDA safe minimum for whole cuts of pork is 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest, which leaves the centre slightly pink; the traditional well-done 71 °C (160 °F) still applies to ground pork."},{"q":"Do the times change at a different oven temperature?","a":"Yes, but not proportionally, and the published rules are only defined at 180 °C (turkey 163 °C); a 20 °C hotter oven shortens the time by roughly 10–15 %. Use a thermometer and start checking early."}],"tags":["roasting time calculator","meat cooking time","roast beef time per kg","roast chicken time","internal temperature","turkey roasting time"],"related":[{"calculator_id":"turkey-cooking-time","reason":"USDA timetable for stuffed and unstuffed turkey with thawing times."},{"calculator_id":"oven-temperature","reason":"Convert the oven setting to Fahrenheit, gas mark or fan oven."},{"calculator_id":"brine","reason":"Brine the joint or bird before roasting."}],"links":{"html":"https://tttkmbb.com/food/meat-cooking-time","markdown":"https://tttkmbb.com/food/meat-cooking-time.md","json":"https://tttkmbb.com/food/meat-cooking-time.json","api":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/meat-cooking-time","schema":"https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/meat-cooking-time","openapi":"https://tttkmbb.com/openapi.json","mcp":"https://tttkmbb.com/mcp"},"version":"v1","updated_at":"2026-09-24"},"timestamp":"2026-09-24T03:48:18Z"}